Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Review: The Trials by Stacey Kade

The Trials (Project Paper Doll, #3)

The Trials is the third and final book in the Project Paper Doll series and resumes pretty much where the previous book left off.  Zane is missing and Ariane is back in her quarters at GTX after being captured by her creator, Dr. Jacobs.  She believes Zane  is dead and feels she has nothing further to lose in the trials.  She is willing to sacrifice herself to ensure that no future alien/human hybrids are produced.  She continues to hone her skills while devising a plan to wipe out all of the major players in the trials.

Everything is going as planned until she discovers that Zane is alive and is now a part of the trials.  What???  How can a human become part of this competition?  You will need to read the book if you want to find out :)

The majority of the book focuses on the trials, which are held in Chicago.  My step-sister lives in Chicago, so I have had the chance to tour and see many of the landmarks, museums, etc. that are mentioned throughout the book.  Using real locations helps to more accurately visualize the setting.  It also allowed Stacey to focus on the plot and character development, which is definitely a plus.

The pace and action continued to escalate as the stakes increased throughout the trials.  The contestants realize not everyone is going to come out of this competition alive, but there is more on the line than they ever imagined.  They will need to work together if any of them wants to walk away from this alive.

Overall, this was an excellent conclusion to the series.  There were several surprises and a few new characters to keep the story interesting.  The relationship development between Zane and Ariane was very believable and the characters remained true to themselves.  I also loved the tie in between the the first book and the conclusion.  While "The Rules" may have changed, there will always be rules to follow as long as GTX and similar corporations are in existence.

I would like to give Stacey a HUGE thank you for mentioning my blog in the acknowledgements.  I actually finished the book an hour into a five hour flight and desperately wanted to tweet her as soon as I saw it.  My husband and son were both asleep, so I couldn't even share my excitement with them until just prior to landing.  I thoroughly enjoyed both her Project Paper Doll and Ghost and the Goth series and would definitely recommend them to any YA fan.

COYER Scavenger Hunt Entry #74: The last book in a series.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Review: Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally

Jesse's Girl (Hundred Oaks)

This is the first book by Miranda Kenneally that I have read and I absolutely loved it.  Jesse is an eighteen year old country music star and Maya is a high school senior who is an aspiring musician.  Her musical taste is more towards the 80's, so getting paired with Jesse for a job shadowing assignment by her principal was not nearly as appealing as it would have been for most girls her age. 

Jesse and Maya have a very awkward first encounter, but their day of shadowing turned out to be one of the best days of either of their lives.  Picture Ferris Bueller's Day Off... Nashville style.  Maya realizes how talented Jesse is and begins to really appreciate the musical advice he gives her.  For Jesse...Maya is a breath of fresh air that he has desperately been needing.  Life in the music business has caused him to isolate himself from everyone except his immediate family and managers.  He has been burned so many times by his supposed "friends" that he has a hard time trusting anyone.  Maya manages to show him that he can still have a life while maintaining his career.

I haven't given a book 5 stars in a while, but this one was definitely worthy.  I was completely engaged and actually finished the entire book during my lengthy travel day with my family.  My husband even commented that I needed to get my head out of the book.  Once I was finished...I still couldn't put it down.  I was flipping back through to reread some of my favorite scenes and quotes.  

I have to give Flo a big THANK YOU for sending an ARC of Jesse's Girl to me.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Review: Only The Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Only the Good Spy Young (Gallagher Girls, #4)

The Gallagher Girls series is really heating up with the fourth installment in the series.  The story starts out with Cammie and Bex on vacation in London.  This trip, however, isn't all fun and games for the girls.  The Circle is still after Cammie and Bex's parents are part of her security detail.  Things take a serious turn when the girls discover who the CIA and MI6 consider the prime suspect.

When Cammie and Bex return to the Gallagher Academy it is far from business as usual.  They have a new teacher for Covert Operations (CoveOps), Cammie's mother (the headmistress) is nowhere to be found, and Sublevel Two is on lock down.  Cammie, Bex, Liz, and Macey make it their mission to discover what is in the Sublevels that warrants this level of security.  They also need to find out where Cammie's mother and their CoveOps teacher (Mr. Solomon) disappeared to and why they were detained.

Of course there are a few encounters with Cammie's love interest, Zach, which adds a little spice to the story.  The girls discover more about his past and what life at the Blackthorne Institute for Boys is REALLY like.  Even though their new CoveOps teacher leaves much to be desired, there are still a couple of unofficial CoveOps missions that teach the girls the importance of writing thorough CoveOps reports.

I was completely shocked with how Ally ended the book and the direction she appears to be taking with the series.  I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I seriously hope one of the spies doesn't take part in a "mission" without backup.

This is definitely my favorite book in the series so far.  It was a fast read with just enough action to keep the pages turning.  Ally continues to add depth to the story by revealing more about the characters, the history of the Gallagher Academy and Blackthorne Institute, and the history of the Circle.

I used this book at part of the Summer COYER scavenger hunt.  It qualifies for item #53 - Read a book with half a face on the cover.